Varieties

The most widely grown variety is Elsanta which produces firm well flavoured berries. Unfortunately the variety can produce misshapen fruit under low temperatures. It can also fail to colour evenly giving rise to a white "nose". In spite of this it is the variety preferred by supermarkets.

The relatively new variety Eros has performed well in trials producing high yields of fruit. However, it tends to be softer than Elsanta and therefore less acceptable in the punnet trade.

The variety Honeoye comes into cropping a few days before Elsanta and in terms of yield both perform well under protection. However, the fruit is softer than Elsanta and fruit can quickly become very dark especially in hot temperatures.

The use of ever-bearers will allow harvesting into October/November. Currently available ever-bearers for protected cropping are Evita and Bolero.

These varieties have a very long fruiting season which gives high yields.

For bag culture, ever-bearers should be planted in March/April and the first flowers removed. They will crop in late summer and autumn.